The present invention relates generally to fastener-driving tools used to drive fasteners into workpieces, and specifically to combustion-powered fastener-driving tools, also referred to as combustion tools.
Combustion-powered tools are known in the art, and are described in U.S. Pat. Re. No. 32,452, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,522,162; 4,483,473; 4,483,474; 4,403,722; 5,197,646; 5,263,439 and 6,145,724, all of which are incorporated by reference herein. Similar combustion-powered nail and staple driving tools are available commercially from Illinois Tool Works of Glenview, Ill.
Such tools incorporate a generally pistol-shaped tool housing enclosing a small internal combustion engine. The engine is powered by a canister of pressurized fuel gas, also called a fuel cell. A battery-powered electronic power distribution unit produces a spark for ignition, and a fan located in a combustion chamber provides for both an efficient combustion within the chamber, while facilitating processes ancillary to the combustion operation of the device. Such ancillary processes include: inserting the fuel into the combustion chamber; mixing the fuel and air within the chamber; and removing, or scavenging, combustion by-products. The engine includes a reciprocating piston with an elongated, rigid driver blade disposed within a single cylinder body.
A valve sleeve is axially reciprocable about the cylinder and, through a linkage, moves to close the combustion chamber when a work contact element at the end of the linkage is pressed against a workpiece. This pressing action also triggers a fuel-metering valve to introduce a specified volume of fuel into the closed combustion chamber.
Upon the pulling of a trigger switch, which causes the spark to ignite a charge of gas in the combustion chamber of the engine, the combined piston and driver blade is forced downward to impact a positioned fastener and drive it into the workpiece. The piston then returns to its original, or pre-firing position, through differential gas pressures within the cylinder. Fasteners are fed magazine-style into the nosepiece, where they are held in a properly positioned orientation for receiving the impact of the driver blade.
Combustion-powered tools now offered on the market are sequentially operated tools. The tool must be pressed against the work, collapsing the work or workpiece contact element (WCE) before the trigger is pulled for the tool to fire a nail. This contrasts with pneumatic tools, which can be fired in a repetitive cycle operational format. In other words, the latter tools will fire repeatedly by pressing the tool against the workpiece, if the trigger is held in the depressed mode. These differences manifest themselves in the number of fasteners that can be fired per second for each style tool. The repetitive cycle of a pneumatic tool mode is substantially faster than the sequential fire mode; 4 to 7 fasteners can be fired per second in repetitive cycle as compared to a maximum of 3–4 fasteners per second in sequential mode. Comparatively, the sequential only cycle for combustion powered tools is limited to a maximum of 2–3 cycles per second.
The distinguishing feature that limits combustion-powered tools to sequential operation is the operator's manual control of the valve sleeve via a lockout mechanism that is linked to the trigger. This mechanism holds the combustion chamber closed until the operator releases the trigger, thus taking into account the operator's relatively slow musculature response time. In other words, the physical release of the trigger consumes enough time of the firing cycle to assure piston return. It is disadvantageous to maintain the chamber closed longer than the minimum time to return the piston, as cooling and purging of the tool is prevented.
Thus, there is a need for a combustion-powered fastener-driving tool which is capable of operating in a repetitive cycle mode. There is also a need for a combustion-powered fastener-driving tool which is selectable between a sequential and repetitive cycle mode.